Nick Luck
Nick Luck’s William Hill blog: Cambridgeshire, Middle Park & Cheveley Park best bets
William Hill ambassador Nick Luck previews ITV’s Group One action from Newmarket and Haydock on ITV.
Saturday, Newmarket
The ITV opener at Newmarket today is the Fillies’ Nursery (1.22pm) and it’s a warm race. There are lots in there you could give a chance to, but my pin has landed on NEXT OF KIN. This filly won quite stylishly at Ayr in a race that William Haggas invariably targets with an above average two-year-old. Then she was well fancied at Newbury, where she was ostensibly disappointing, but a rewatch of that race will confirm that she was unlucky. That run is best forgiven. A mark in the mid-70s is certainly not a disaster for her and she can gain compensation here.
QUICKEN AWAY is the horse that I like in the Royal Lodge (1.55pm). Andrew Balding holds this horse in extremely high regard and so he should off the back of an excellent debut second at Newbury and then a comfortable victory at Goodwood. I was quite impressed with him that day because he had to contend with some pretty atrocious ground and the way he moves suggests that a nice, good surface will suit him much better. He’s a horse with a fair bit of class, stays well at this trip and I think will be seen to better effect in this better race. This is much different opposition to what he’s encountered so far, but he can take another step forward.
SENORITA BONITA is the horse that I like in the Cheveley Park (2.27pm) on the basis that she possesses more inherent speed than either of her main rivals. She was very, very good on the July Course in the Duchess Of Cambridge before stepping up successfully to Group One company where she thrashed her rivals, including the colts. Although in Sun Goddess, and her old rival, Libertango, she has two of the best two-year-old fillies around to contend with, you could make a strong case that she is the best of them here. Sun Goddess whilst effective at six, would be more effective against top-class rivals at seven, and there’s no obvious reason why Libertango should reverse the form from the July Course given that this is likely to be a test of pace. Senorita Bonita to get the nod.
ORTHODOX is the pick in the Middle Park (3.00pm). I’m happy to draw a line through his run in the Morny where he looked ill at ease on the slow surface and I think the return to better ground will suit him well. He was really quite impressive in the Norfolk and Clive Cox has won this race twice before. I think he rates Orthodox even higher than his previous two winners.
ERZINDJAN is the pick in the Cambridgeshire (3.40pm). He won his side last year when finishing fourth in the race. He’s only up two pounds higher this time around and he’s been campaigned as though they wanted fresh legs for today. They’ve not only got fresh legs, they’ve got a well-handicapped horse and Billy Loughnane on board. That combination, plus what could be a pretty good draw in 25, should stand him in good stead.
Saturday, Haydock
In the first televised race from Haydock, the William Hill Epic Boost Handicap (1.35pm), COMMANDER’S INTENT is the selection. He’s unexposed, is a three-year-old who could easily still be on the up and represents George Scott’s stable that has done exceptionally well this season. This horse has been gelded since his last run, and his two most recent runs in the spring were quite promising, suggesting that he remained on an upward curve. If the gelding operation squeezes out a bit more improvement, then he has to be very high on the shortlist here.
HUCKLESBROOK is the pick in the five-furlong William Hill-sponsored sprint handicap at Haydock (2.10pm). This horse has had fewer runs than most this season and should have a little bit left in the tank for the back end. That certainly seemed to be the case judged on an excellent run last time, suggesting he was coming back into some sort of form. I like the jockey booking of Joanna Mason and the yard is in tremendous form at present.
